Spiritual Adultery

[Guest Sweetkitty99]

Spiritual Adultery

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

James 4:3-4

How many of us are adulterers spiritually? Are we faithful to our Father or are we blown about on the wind looking to things of the world?

We wnat God to be faithful to us,to answer our prayers and comfort us. But how can we expect God to do these things for us when we are so easily led to the things of the world. We look for escape in movies and books and the internet instead of to our Bibles for the answers that we are seeking.

Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:15-16

I have grown to realize that the things of this world are so fleeting...that they are like cotton candy..all fluff and no substance. But God is a solid foundation that we can look to in times of need and trouble.

Let us strive to be faithful at all times to our father,so that He will always remain faithful to us.

[Catsmeow]

Agreed!

I also believe God hears us when we are walking in the spirit and showing kindness and love one toward another.

[Guest Test4echo]

Greetings,

I realize my post here is Not quite what Sweetkitty99 had in mind by saying Spiritual Adultery.

I'll be honest with this Thread.

I have been separated for over 5 years.

I have not dated once in all that time. Nor have I been with any one. Not even a hug or kiss.

My Wife and I met in high school, she was my first and also the last.

Its impossible for me not to lust after some of the women that I meet.

I can't help it.

The thoughs pop into my head much faster than I can repel them.

I don't mean to say I'm obsesive about it. I certainly am NOT.

But, there is at least once or twice a day I see that booty go by and think wow!!!

Is this a sin? Have I committed adultery in my heart? Maybe.

I don't long for those thoughts, I don't act on them, and mostly I am a little ashamed of myself when it happens.

But happens it does.

All I can do is count on being saved by Grace, and my faith in the Lord.

He knows exactly what goes on in my brain when it happens.

All I can hope for is that the Lords knows I am Human and sinful by nature.

Which is why he had to Die on the Cross for me, and you, and the Universe.

I believe that intent and obsesiveness is key to this question.

As long as you don't willfully look after those thoughts, be mired in them, you may yet have a reason to be confident that you'll be ok at Judgement.

My thoughts only, not biblical fact.

I may well be wrong.

I should mention that I'm 32.

Chris,

[Catsmeow]

Test: Don't feel bad. You're human. I cannot forget that Jesus was a man and the bible says he was tempted in everyway common to man.

So he sympathizes with our weaknesses.

[nebula]

Test4echo -

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:(something)

You've made the right step!

[Catsmeow]

Amen, Neb!

[Catsmeow]

Oh, and Test...temptation isn't a sin. Jesus was tempted in every way but did not sin.

If a thought just flashes through your mind, that's temptation. If you indulge it, much like David did with Bathsheeba, that's sin.

[Guest Test4echo]

Thats a good point catsmeow. Thank you for the encouraging words.

I never really though about your point that "Jesus was tempted in all the ways we as humans were".

I'm gonna get into trouble I bet for my next bit of commentary but, I need to say it.

Did Jesus have thoughts of Sex?

Thoughts of killing?

Thoughts of disdain or disrepspect for others?

How could Satan have REALLY tempted Jesus, if by his Godly nature it was impossible for him to be anything other than Holy through and through?

I am not talking about Jesus's actions, but only his fleeting thoughts.

I'm really uncomfortable thinking that Jesus had "Bad Thoughts" once in a while.

But how could he understand us as Humans if he was "Perfect in his thoughts?"

Whats your take on it?

Chris,

[Catsmeow]

I believe Satan puts bad thoughts in our heads. I've had that happen. In Ephesians, Chapter 6 it's referred to as "flaming darts" or "arrows" of the enemy...

Satan casts those thoughts and we, naturally, assume they belong to us.

I don't think all thoughts originate with us...I think we choose whether to feed those thoughts or not.

I remember a story about a missionary who had converted an Indian chief back a couple hundred years ago.

The missionary had to return to the city briefly and returned to the tribe a few months later.

He asked the chief when he saw him how things were going...

The chief said, "Well, it's like this...it feels like I have a white dog and a black dog always fighting inside of me."

The missionary asks, "Well chief, who's winning?"

The chief replies, "The one that I feed."

I believe this story applies to our walk in this life. There will always be fleeting thoughts that may attempt to take us down but we, though Christ Jesus, can resist those thoughts by taking every thought captive to Him who died for us.

Easy to say; not as easy to do...but a challenge for each of us on the journey through this wilderness.

[Guest Calamity]

There's some good posts here, but I have to comment on one thing:

sweetkitty: "Let us strive to be faithful at all times to our father,so that He will always remain faithful to us."

I believe God is faithful even when we're not. He is the faithful One.